ISU fraternity Delta Chi under interim suspension

Monday

Delta Chi fraternity at Iowa State University has been placed under interim suspension of organizational privileges, according to the university’s Office of Student Conduct website.

Delta Chi was handed the suspension on July 30, which requires that the group temporarily not be recognized as a registered campus organization. The disciplinary action entails suspending the privileges given to registered university organizations, including participating in campus activities, recruitment and accessing organization financial accounts.

Although the Office of Student Conduct is unable to disclose the report or situation that led to the fraternity’s interim suspension by university student disciplinary regulations, campus organizations can immediately be denied university privileges and be excluded from activities on campus when the organization’s “continued presence on the campus creates a continuing danger to persons or property, or constitutes an ongoing threat of disruption to the academic process.”

Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Conduct Sara Kellogg said Monday that while reports that can lead to disciplinary action can be initiated by students self-reporting issues, oftentimes, information comes to the Office of Student Conduct from an off-campus property manager or police reports.

She added that while the situation behind the recent interim suspension is not able to be discussed currently, nor is the timeline regarding what happened, most interim suspensions are the result of recent activity.

“It’s usually something that’s going to have a fairly significant overall (impact) in terms of an incident, it’s not going to be something like underage possession of alcohol or a minor type case,” Kellogg said. “It’s more serious and about concern for safety of students. In our policy, it says if it constitutes a significant danger to the safety of persons or property. So that’s really where we’re looking at.”

Last October, ISU’s Sigma Chi fraternity was also placed under interim suspension of organizational privileges. The fraternity was ultimately sanctioned by the Office of Student Conduct for misuse of alcoholic beverages, hazing, contempt and violations of the conditions that qualify the organization as a group at ISU.

In 2015, fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon was assigned an interim suspension of organizational privileges after police said one of its members was being investigated for sexual assault. The group was later suspended until January 2019.

An interim suspension hearing to be held before the Dean of Students Vernon Hurte has been scheduled for Delta Chi, but has yet to take place, according to Kellogg. During the hearing, information regarding why the interim suspension is warranted will be presented, and Delta Chi will have the opportunity to show why it is not.

Hurte is responsible for determining if the interim suspension will be continued, modified or lifted.